Cheteshwar Pujara, the lynchpin of India's Test batting line-up, said he doesn't need to silent everyone while playing international cricket. Pujara scored his 17th Test ton on Day 2 of the MCG Test.

The ongoing Test series between India and Australia has been phenomenal for Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara – who scored his 2nd century of the ongoing series on Day 2 of the third Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The century came after the Saurashtra batsman had taken the team out of dire straits in the opening Test where he scored a stupendous 123-run knock to bring Virat Kohli’s men back in the game.

While Pujara scored 123 and 71 runs respectively in the first Test, the second game Perth wasn’t the same for him as he scored just 28 runs from both innings. But Pujara once again found the rhythm in the third Test, where he scored his 17th ton of the format on Day 2 of the MCG Test. When asked about the criticism he received for his poor show Down Under in 2014, Pujara said, "When I play international cricket, I don't need to silence anyone. I just need to keep scoring runs and that is what I love to do. I don't want to get into all such things. My job is to score runs and I will keep scoring runs, whether it is home or away. Sometimes you do get criticised and you just have to accept it. But if you keep scoring runs and if India keeps winning, ultimately everybody is happy.”

Pujara was involved in a 170-run stand for the third wicket with Kohli (82) – who missed out on another Test century. Praising Kohli’s knock, Pujara added, “He is such a great timer of the ball. In this innings, it was his straight drive which struck me the most. The way he was hitting the ball. That’s one shot I enjoyed watching the most. He is scoring runs in all three formats. Especially in Test cricket, when we have a partnership, he tries to play his natural game and he keeps the scoreboard ticking.”

Thanks to Pujara's ton, the visitors posted a challenging 443-run total in the first innings. In reply, Australia were 8/0 at stumps on Day 3. Both teams have won a match apiece with the series level at 1-1.

WATCH: I don’t need to silence everyone when I am playing international cricket, says Cheteshwar PujaraDescription:Cheteshwar Pujara, the lynchpin of India's Test batting line-up, said he doesn't need to silent everyone while playing international cricket. Pujara scored his 17th Test ton on Day 2 of the MCG Test.Times Now